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Even though pollution is still seen as one of the biggest shortcomings for personal vehicles, the majority of consumers feel the auto industry is progressing with emission reductions and investments in renewable energy sources.

This outlook of the auto industry’s reputation comes from a survey sponsored by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) and conducted by polling institute TNS Sofres.

“The conclusions are quite clear and positive, with the car seen as an object of desire, providing many important advantages compared to any other transport mode: globally, consumers view the car as comfortable, practical, fast, safe, and future oriented,” said Matthias Wissmann, first vice president for OICA. “Also the industry itself scores extremely high and is largely considered as an industry that can be trusted and is innovative.”

Source: International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers

Carbon emissions are the biggest problem personal vehicles face, as marked by more than 60 percent of the survey’s responders. In comparison, less than 20 percent felt that other transportation issues – including being stressful, tiring, and having too many constraints – applied to cars. Consumers also said personal vehicles pollute more than public transportation.

Source: International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers

But even pollution was named as the largest weakness for personal vehilces, consumers also said the auto industry is doing a good job tackling the issue. Not only are auto manufactures making progress reducing both carbon emissions and non-carbon emission, said respondents, but 68 percent said the industry also excels at investing in sustainable energy sources.

The survey revealed that, as a whole, the reputation of the auto industry is rated very favorably. It gets the highest scores for innovation, with about 80 percent of responders noting that manufacturers are developing the latest technologies for vehicles, including connected and intelligent vehicles.

Consumers also said the industry actively seeks solutions to challenges, makes products that improve the quality of life, and can be trusted in the long term.

For the survey, TNS Sofres’ automotive team completed more than 14,000 interviews in 18 countries, “with the goal of capturing consumers’ attachment to the automobile and their image and opinion of the sector overall,” noted OICA.